A Guide to
Generative AI
with Microsoft
Solutions to power your
AI business transformation
2 CONTENTS
A GUIDE TO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT
Contents
CONTENTS 3. SAFEGUARD
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Introduction.............................................................................................................................................................................. 3
1. Unlock Productivity in the solutions you use every day............................................................... 5
Generative AI for every employee.................................................................................................................... 7
Sellers............................................................................................................................................................................. 9
Service agents........................................................................................................................................................ 10
Financial analysts.................................................................................................................................................. 11
Security analysts.................................................................................................................................................. 12
Data and IT professionals.............................................................................................................................. 13
Developers................................................................................................................................................................ 14
Extend Microsoft Copilot to support any employee........................................................................ 15
2. Build new capabilities.............................................................................................................................................. 16
Create new functionality with a full-stack AI solution..................................................................... 18
Streamline access to AI models........................................................................................................................ 18
Enhance generative AI experiences with powerful search technology............................... 19
Collaborate with a partner...................................................................................................................................20
Get your data in shape............................................................................................................................................20
3. Safeguard your business end to end.......................................................................................................... 21
Secure Future Initiative...........................................................................................................................................22
Responsible AI Standard........................................................................................................................................22
Fast-track your AI transformation with Microsoft......................................................................................23
A GUIDE TO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT
3 INTRODUCTION
Generative AI is a type of AI that is trained
on enormous amounts of data, enabling it to
generate novel content, such as text, images,
music, and code, in response to natural-
language requests. Businesses can use
generative AI to improve almost any process
where people use or create information.
This technology has the potential to
transform business with the goal of
automating routine tasks, spurring creativity,
and empowering people to focus on high-
value work. Scaling the personalization of
customer interactions helps employees
drive satisfaction and loyalty. It also reveals
patterns in vast amounts of data to inform
better decision-making.
The transformative
potential of generative AI
With the right approach,
you can:
Unlock productivity
Automate mundane tasks to help people focus
on what matters most.
Reinvent customer engagement
Deepen customer connections with the ability to
personalize at scale based on data.
Reshape your business processes
Break through data silos and
operational bottlenecks.
Bend the curve on innovation
Free your teams to engage in creative
problem-solving and ideation, taking your
business to new heights.
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A GUIDE TO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT
4 INTRODUCTION
Turning potential
into reality
Wherever your business is on the path to AI
transformation, this guide provides practical
information to move forward. Whether you hope
to make work more efficient and effective for
employees with generative AI built into everyday
applications or customize and build solutions
tailored to your business needs, you can
accelerate your goals with Microsoft solutions.
In the following sections of this e-book, we'll
introduce three paths to realizing the value of
AI business transformation—and how Microsoft
supports your organization at every step with
solutions built on responsible principles. You’ll
find links to relevant services and products
that can help you achieve your vision and
elevate success.
1. Unlock productivity in
the solutions you use every day
2. Build new capabilities
3. Safeguard your business
end to end
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A GUIDE TO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT
5
Unlock productivity
in the solutions
you use every day
1.
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6 A GUIDE TO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT 1. UNLOCK PRODUCTIVITY IN THE SOLUTIONS YOU USE EVERY DAY
If your business is like most, you wish employees
could spend less time focused on managing
information and performing repetitive tasks and
more time engaging with customers, innovating,
and adding value. Your employees are your
company’s greatest asset. Anything that can
maximize the value of their knowledge and
expertise helps drive success.
Prebuilt generative AI solutions integrated
into familiar software experiences empower
employees by streamlining tasks, kickstarting
creativity, and amplifying individual abilities.
By combining the power of generative AI with
your data, you can turn your employees’ words
into the most powerful productivity tool on
the planet. With a natural language interface
integrated into tools they already use, these
solutions let anyone dive in immediately,
regardless of technical background.
Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft Copilot is your AI assistant
at work. By connecting generative AI
with your data and the expertise of your
employees, Copilot accelerates results—
while protecting security and privacy
and following responsible principles.
Learn more about Copilot
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7 A GUIDE TO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT
Generative AI
for every employee
Every worker across any business function can
use generative AI to rapidly generate content,
insights, and solutions tailored to specific tasks
and contexts. It helps them automate repetitive
tasks so they can focus on high-value activities
and analyze vast amounts of data to make more
informed decisions.
One of the fastest ways to take advantage
of these capabilities is by using copilots, or
generative AI interactions that people engage
with through a conversational chat interface.
Microsoft Copilot
for Microsoft 365
Unlock the potential of knowledge by
enhancing familiar apps.
• Intuitive document creation: Copilot
in PowerPoint streamlines presentation
building, helping turn blank slides into
engaging stories faster.
• Smart data analysis: Copilot in Excel helps
uncover insights using natural language
questions rather than specialized skills.
• Efficient communication: Copilot
in Outlook provides summaries and
prioritization cues to reduce
inbox overload.
Learn more about
Copilot for Microsoft 365
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8 A GUIDE TO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT
Financial analysts
Sellers
Service agents
Security analysts
Data and IT professionals
Developers
Let’s look at how Copilot augments employee
skills across everyday business activities. Click
any of the following topics to learn more about
how Copilot can help.
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9 A GUIDE TO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT
Sellers can take building relationships and
closing deals to the next level when generative
AI makes it easier to find and manage customer
data, automates administrative tasks, and helps
draft personalized communications.
• Automated task management: Streamline
customer relationship management (CRM)
updates and meeting summaries, freeing time
for more strategic work.
• Easier engagement: Receive timely guidance
and insights to engage customers effectively.
• Application integration: Quickly access
Copilot within the most-used applications,
helping to ensure a smooth workflow.
Sellers
Learn more about
Copilot for Sales
Microsoft Copilot for Sales
Copilot for Sales empowers sellers to
boost productivity, personalize every
customer interaction, and automate
time-consuming tasks. It helps them
engage with customers in the right way
and at the right time with guidance and
relationship insights.
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10 A GUIDE TO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT
Using generative AI, agents can handle more
inquiries in a day without losing the personal
touch. It provides instant access to information
and suggested responses, speeding up query
resolution, shortening customer wait times, and
raising satisfaction levels.
• Data integration: Empower agents to solve
customer challenges faster by easing access to
critical information when it counts.
• Productivity tools: Increase agent efficiency
with AI integrated into familiar apps,
accelerating onboarding and case resolution.
• Customizable solutions: Tailor
Microsoft Copilot for Service to the unique
requirements of your contact center.
Service agents
Learn more about
Copilot for Service
Microsoft Copilot
for Service
Put the customer at the center
of the conversation and increase
agent productivity through familiar
experiences. Copilot for Service
helps agents resolve cases faster to
reduce wait times and boost customer
satisfaction.
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11 A GUIDE TO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT
Financial analysts
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Finance teams work in a fast-paced environment,
and generative AI helps them quickly interpret
data to act on insights and make more informed
decisions swiftly. By dedicating more manual
tasks to the help of generative AI, financial
analysts can focus more of their time on
strategic decision-making and innovation.
• Accelerated decision-making: Get action-
oriented recommendations, proactive
anomaly detection, and specialized finance
prompts and guidance.
• Operational efficiency: Apply next-generation
AI to more manual processes like collections
and contract and invoice capture.
• Connect financial data: Use pre-built
connectors with existing data sources
including traditional ERP systems and financial
planning and analysis tools.
Learn more about
Copilot for Finance
Microsoft Copilot
for Finance
Copilot for Finance is embedded in the
applications you use every day and
connects seamlessly to a myriad of
data sources. Help finance professionals
work more efficiently and gain insights
from their data, and get work done in
productivity tools like Excel and Outlook
without switching applications.
12 A GUIDE TO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT
Generative AI revolutionizes cybersecurity by
enhancing threat detection and response. It
continuously analyzes data to help security
professionals quickly identify and mitigate
breaches. With real-time insights and
automation, they can concentrate on strategic
improvements and proactively combat threats.
• Incident summarization: Convert complex
alerts into clear, actionable summaries for
better decision-making.
• Impact analysis: Provide insights into
the potential impact of incidents, helping
prioritize response efforts.
• Reverse engineering: Translate complex
scripts into natural language, clarifying
attacker actions and linking indicators to
environmental entities.
Security analysts
Microsoft Copilot
for Security
Microsoft is updating its security tools
with AI to improve threat detection and
response and to simplify and strengthen
security management. Copilot for
Security is a generative AI-powered
security solution that helps increase the
efficiency and capabilities of defenders
to improve security outcomes at
machine speed and scale. It empowers
security and IT teams to protect at the
speed and scale of AI.
Learn more about
Copilot for Security
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13 A GUIDE TO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT
Generative AI equips data professionals with
robust analytical tools, simplifying complex data
exploration and making advanced analytics
more accessible and actionable across diverse
business contexts. For IT professionals, it
enhances cloud management and orchestration,
facilitating efficient operations and cost
optimization.
• Intelligent analysis: Gain contextual insights
into data and threat analytics.
• Accelerated workflows: Support specialists
with smart code generation and explanations.
• Simplified report generation: Automatically
create reports based on topics or prompts for
rapid intelligence.
• Enhanced orchestration: Manage cloud
and edge resources efficiently and improve
visibility and governance.
Data and IT
professionals
Microsoft Copilot in Azure
Gain new insights, discover more
benefits of the cloud, and orchestrate
across both cloud and edge. Copilot
in Azure can simplify your Azure
management experience and provide
information tailored to your own Azure
resources and environment. It unifies
knowledge and data across hundreds of
services to increase productivity, reduce
costs, and provide deep insights.
Learn more about
Copilot in Azure
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14 A GUIDE TO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT
Generative AI tools boost developer productivity
by automating routine tasks and simplifying
complex processes.
• Intelligent code suggestions: Increase
efficiency with real-time code completion,
plus suggestions that get apps to production
faster.
• Learning and troubleshooting aid: Support
learning new programming languages and
frameworks and accelerate troubleshooting.
• Test writing and security: Speed up the
process of writing unit tests and fixing issues,
improving code quality quickly.
• Extending and building copilots: Rapidly
adapt AI tools to your needs or create custom
solutions.
Developers
Github Copilot
GitHub Copilot boosts business impact
by enhancing developer productivity and
speeding up software development. It
offers contextualized coding assistance
across multiple languages, integrating
into developers' workflows.
Learn more about
Github Copilot
Microsoft Copilot Studio
Copilot Studio allows developers to
efficiently create generative AI solutions,
including bots and custom copilots,
through a streamlined, user-friendly
interface. This tool enhances customer
service by simplifying the development
and deployment of AI-driven support
and self-service options.
Learn more about
Copilot Studio
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Extend generative AI
solutions to support any
employee
Organizations can face challenges that
require tailored tools and approaches, such as
automating specific workflows and enhancing
data analysis. By starting with existing tools and
customizing them on a low-code platform, your
employees can quickly boost the value of your
AI investment and accelerate transformation—
without requiring deep technical knowledge or
long, costly build cycles.
Extending solutions with
Copilot Studio
Copilot Studio is a low-code tool that
makes it easy for employees to extend the
capabilities of copilots. It uses generative AI
for enhancements and edits and connects
to a wide range of applications and data
sources, including Azure services and on-
premises databases. This helps identify
strategic opportunities and improve business
operations. It includes robust IT management
tools for visibility and control.
Copilot can integrate external data directly to
minimize user context shifts while enhancing
productivity and collaboration. It can also be
Learn more about
extending solutions with
Copilot Studio
extended to surface external data directly in
Microsoft products that users use every day.
For instance, enterprises can build plugins to
integrate their line-of-business APIs and data
directly into Copilot.
Adding plugins, connectors, or message
extensions to Copilot helps users make
the most out of these AI assistants.
Users can more easily discover and work
with enterprise data, tools, and services
using natural language, which improves
productivity and enhances teamwork.
Copilot Studio can also be used to create
and deploy new AI functionality, which we
will discuss in the next chapter.
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Build new capabilities
2.
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17 A GUIDE TO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT 2. BUILD NEW CAPABILITIES
For business with complex and unique needs,
building custom generative AI can provide
even more significant benefits. These adaptable
solutions are tailored to specific business
processes, industry scenarios, and user
requirements.
A custom AI copilot can create a personalized
conversational AI experience for users that
integrates company data and documents, real-
time data from external APIs, and access via
company applications.
Building custom copilots allows you to meet
specialized and domain-specific demands
in ways tailored to users’ and customers’
expectations while meeting compliance and
regulatory requirements. Examples of the many
use cases include:
• Providing contextually relevant knowledge
retrieval over enterprise data using
natural language.
• Managing inventory with accurate forecasts
and automated restocking based on real-time
sales data.
• Refining customer targeting through behavior
and social media trend analysis to craft
compelling advertising strategies.
• Personalizing professional learning paths by
dynamically addressing employee needs and
offering tailored content.
• Providing customer support with intelligent
call centers using virtual agents, real-time
agent assistance, and post-call analytics.
• Generating new products and services,
such as speech assistance with voice
command experiences.
Building custom solutions
with Microsoft Copilot Studio
With Copilot Studio, developers can build
custom copilots tailored to specific business
processes and workflows, leveraging large
language models and an array of data
connectors. This platform simplifies the
creation of intelligent chat experiences,
allowing developers to design AI assistants
that enhance user interactions across various
internal and external channels.
Learn more about
building custom copilots
with Copilot Studio
• Custom integration: Build AI assistants
with prebuilt data connectors for
integration into business workflows.
• Streamlined creation: Design and deploy
AI-driven chat experiences quickly using a
guided development environment.
• Multi-channel deployment: Publish your
custom copilots to diverse platforms,
from web to mobile, ensuring broad
accessibility.
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Create new functionality
with a full-stack
AI solution
Businesses often need help with the complexity
and resource demands of implementing
custom AI. An integrated platform simplifies
development with one-stop access to services
and tools to build, test, deploy, and manage AI
solutions at scale. It helps developers leverage
AI effectively without managing separate tools,
enhancing productivity and getting solutions
into production faster.
• Enhanced innovation: Enable developers
to build and deploy AI-driven applications
efficiently with advanced tools for enterprise-
level chat, content creation, and data analysis.
• Comprehensive tooling: Provide access to a
suite of collaborative capabilities that support
the entire development lifecycle.
• Streamlined operations: Facilitate integration
and management of AI solutions across
diverse environments, improving scalability
and monitoring.
Streamline access
to AI models
Discovering, managing, hosting, and
customizing AI models can be a complex and
costly process. It requires technical skills, time,
and infrastructure that many businesses may not
have readily available.
A streamlined model service simplifies this
by providing easy access to customizable AI
models. This cuts down on the need for heavy
infrastructure and deep technical expertise,
allowing businesses to integrate AI quickly and
focus on using AI for strategic advancements
like improving services and enhancing
user experiences.
• Azure AI model catalog: Use multimodal
models for enhanced user interaction and
innovative experiences.
• Data integrity: Ensure privacy and security by
keeping your data separate.
• Flexible pricing: Select from pay-as-you-go or
structured plans to suit business needs.
Azure AI Studio
Azure AI Studio empowers developers
to innovate with AI securely and
responsibly. It accelerates the
development of custom solutions for
enterprise chat, content generation,
data analysis, and more. Developers
access cutting-edge APIs and
models, build and test solutions with
collaborative tools, deploy innovations
across various environments, and
manage solutions with continuous
monitoring and governance.
Azure OpenAI Service
Azure OpenAI Service provides
businesses with advanced, customizable
AI models like GPT-4o and GPT-4
Turbo with Vision. It unlocks use cases,
including conversational AI, content
creation, and data grounding. Key
features include adaptable models
for optimized results, flexible payment
options for cost management, and
robust security measures backed
by Microsoft.
Learn more about
Azure AI Studio
Learn more about
Azure OpenAI Service
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19 A GUIDE TO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT
Enhance generative
AI experiences with
powerful search
technology
AI-driven solutions enhance accuracy, relevance,
and timeliness across various applications,
empowered by retrieval augmented generation
(RAG). This technology facilitates high-
performing experiences by ensuring contextual
relevance through advanced data retrieval
techniques that drive dynamic and effective
interactions.
• Advanced retrieval: Implement state-of-the-
art re-ranking technology with automatic
indexing to streamline complex information
retrieval processes.
• Data versatility: Integrate any data type from
multiple sources, enriching engagements with
richer, multimodal interactions.
• Optimized data integration: Streamline
data preparation and enhance analytics by
connecting directly to OneLake in
Microsoft Fabric.
Azure AI Search
Azure AI Search provides high-quality,
relevant responses through advanced
search and data retrieval methods.
It supports comprehensive search
capabilities, enhancing business
efficiency by allowing quick access
to needed information. Seamlessly
integrated with Azure services, it boosts
scalability and security, making it ideal
for complex, data-intensive applications
and ensuring robust data security
and operational flexibility for diverse
business needs.
Learn more about
Azure AI Search
2. BUILD NEW CAPABILITIES
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20 A GUIDE TO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT
Get your data in shape
Data is vital for AI. Your business’s unique
data—from apps, services, IoT sensors, and
more—is the raw material generative AI utilizes
to drive innovation. However, issues like data
sprawl and fragmentation are common and
hinder organizations from getting the most from
their data.
To tackle these challenges, your cloud platform
needs to be seamlessly integrated and
modernized with the latest analytics, databases,
and security that are purposefully built for AI.
A seamless and modern platform taps into the
full value of your data and protects it, clearing
the way for AI innovation.
Azure AI infrastructure
Build your experiences on an
end-to-end AI platform with secure,
scalable infrastructure trusted by
AI leaders, including OpenAI, Nvidia, and
the Fortune 500.
Learn more about
Azure AI infrastructure
Learn more about
building your platform
for the era of AI
Collaborate with
a partner
AI development is complex; trusted partners are
crucial. Microsoft's global partner network, with
400,000 members, brings deep industry and
technical expertise. Whether you need
SaaS applications that use AI or want to
integrate Copilot into your apps, our network
supports your goals. We equip our partners with
the necessary tools and resources to advance AI
transformation effectively.
Find the right Microsoft
partner for your AI
transformation goals
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21
Safeguard your
business end to end
3.
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When integrating AI, business leaders should
keep the safety and security of your operations,
clients, and data in mind is essential. Partnering
with a company that prioritizes these values
drives successful AI implementation and
long-term success.
Microsoft is uniquely positioned to enable your
secure and responsible use of AI through:
• Data and threat intelligence:
Microsoft Security leverages trillions of daily
signals to anticipate attacker moves, including
data from over a million customers and 15,000
partners, backed by expertise monitoring an
ever-changing list of more than 300
threat groups.
Secure Future Initiative
At Microsoft, we prioritize cyber safety above
all else through our Secure Future Initiative (SFI),
which is grounded in principles of designing
products with security first, ensuring security
features are mandatory and effortless, and
continuously enhancing our security measures
to meet evolving threats.
This comprehensive approach encompasses
stringent standards for identity and secrets
management, a culture of continuous security
improvement, and a robust governance
framework led by our Chief Information Security
Officer (CISO). Together, these efforts reinforce
our commitment to maintaining trust by
effectively managing risks and safeguarding our
community and customers against current and
future cyber threats.
Responsible AI Standard
Responsible AI is an approach to developing,
assessing, and deploying AI systems in a safe,
trustworthy, and ethical way.
The Microsoft Responsible AI Standard is a
framework for building AI systems according
to six principles: fairness, reliability and safety,
privacy and security, inclusiveness, transparency,
and accountability.
For Microsoft, these Responsible AI principles
are the cornerstone of a responsible and
trustworthy approach to AI, especially as
intelligent technology becomes more
prevalent in products and services that people
use every day.
Learn about the
Secure Future Initiative
Learn more about
responsible AI
3. SAFEGUARD YOUR BUSINESS END TO END
• End-to-end protection: Microsoft Security
offers integrated protection across 50
categories, forming a unified security cloud.
This includes threat protection, compliance,
identity, device management, and
privacy solutions, creating a synergistic
defense system.
• Tools to govern and secure AI:
Comprehensive solutions support
informed decision-making, protect data,
and manage AI use while providing
guidance to address specific risks and
secure application development.​
• Responsible AI principles: Microsoft leads the
development of secure and responsible AI.
Our framework helps maximize benefits and
minimize risks.
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Starting your business transformation
with generative AI is time-critical, and
Microsoft is here to help navigate it.
Microsoft AI solutions empower your
organization to rapidly transform
innovation into value, whether you
want to enable employees with Copilot
in Microsoft 365 or experiment with
cutting-edge technologies using
Azure AI Studio.
Fast-track your AI
transformation with Microsoft
Learn more about Microsoft AI solutions:
Microsoft.com/AI
Learn how you can get started with Microsoft Copilot:
Microsoft.com/copilot
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A Guide to Generative AI with Microsoft.pdf

  • 1.
    A Guide to GenerativeAI with Microsoft Solutions to power your AI business transformation
  • 2.
    2 CONTENTS A GUIDETO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT Contents CONTENTS 3. SAFEGUARD 2. BUILD 1. UNLOCK INTRODUCTION Introduction.............................................................................................................................................................................. 3 1. Unlock Productivity in the solutions you use every day............................................................... 5 Generative AI for every employee.................................................................................................................... 7 Sellers............................................................................................................................................................................. 9 Service agents........................................................................................................................................................ 10 Financial analysts.................................................................................................................................................. 11 Security analysts.................................................................................................................................................. 12 Data and IT professionals.............................................................................................................................. 13 Developers................................................................................................................................................................ 14 Extend Microsoft Copilot to support any employee........................................................................ 15 2. Build new capabilities.............................................................................................................................................. 16 Create new functionality with a full-stack AI solution..................................................................... 18 Streamline access to AI models........................................................................................................................ 18 Enhance generative AI experiences with powerful search technology............................... 19 Collaborate with a partner...................................................................................................................................20 Get your data in shape............................................................................................................................................20 3. Safeguard your business end to end.......................................................................................................... 21 Secure Future Initiative...........................................................................................................................................22 Responsible AI Standard........................................................................................................................................22 Fast-track your AI transformation with Microsoft......................................................................................23
  • 3.
    A GUIDE TOGENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT 3 INTRODUCTION Generative AI is a type of AI that is trained on enormous amounts of data, enabling it to generate novel content, such as text, images, music, and code, in response to natural- language requests. Businesses can use generative AI to improve almost any process where people use or create information. This technology has the potential to transform business with the goal of automating routine tasks, spurring creativity, and empowering people to focus on high- value work. Scaling the personalization of customer interactions helps employees drive satisfaction and loyalty. It also reveals patterns in vast amounts of data to inform better decision-making. The transformative potential of generative AI With the right approach, you can: Unlock productivity Automate mundane tasks to help people focus on what matters most. Reinvent customer engagement Deepen customer connections with the ability to personalize at scale based on data. Reshape your business processes Break through data silos and operational bottlenecks. Bend the curve on innovation Free your teams to engage in creative problem-solving and ideation, taking your business to new heights. CONTENTS 3. SAFEGUARD 2. BUILD 1. UNLOCK INTRODUCTION
  • 4.
    A GUIDE TOGENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT 4 INTRODUCTION Turning potential into reality Wherever your business is on the path to AI transformation, this guide provides practical information to move forward. Whether you hope to make work more efficient and effective for employees with generative AI built into everyday applications or customize and build solutions tailored to your business needs, you can accelerate your goals with Microsoft solutions. In the following sections of this e-book, we'll introduce three paths to realizing the value of AI business transformation—and how Microsoft supports your organization at every step with solutions built on responsible principles. You’ll find links to relevant services and products that can help you achieve your vision and elevate success. 1. Unlock productivity in the solutions you use every day 2. Build new capabilities 3. Safeguard your business end to end CONTENTS 3. SAFEGUARD 2. BUILD 1. UNLOCK INTRODUCTION
  • 5.
    A GUIDE TOGENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT 5 Unlock productivity in the solutions you use every day 1. CONTENTS 3. SAFEGUARD 2. BUILD 1. UNLOCK INTRODUCTION
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    6 A GUIDETO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT 1. UNLOCK PRODUCTIVITY IN THE SOLUTIONS YOU USE EVERY DAY If your business is like most, you wish employees could spend less time focused on managing information and performing repetitive tasks and more time engaging with customers, innovating, and adding value. Your employees are your company’s greatest asset. Anything that can maximize the value of their knowledge and expertise helps drive success. Prebuilt generative AI solutions integrated into familiar software experiences empower employees by streamlining tasks, kickstarting creativity, and amplifying individual abilities. By combining the power of generative AI with your data, you can turn your employees’ words into the most powerful productivity tool on the planet. With a natural language interface integrated into tools they already use, these solutions let anyone dive in immediately, regardless of technical background. Microsoft Copilot Microsoft Copilot is your AI assistant at work. By connecting generative AI with your data and the expertise of your employees, Copilot accelerates results— while protecting security and privacy and following responsible principles. Learn more about Copilot CONTENTS 3. SAFEGUARD 2. BUILD 1. UNLOCK INTRODUCTION
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    7 A GUIDETO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT Generative AI for every employee Every worker across any business function can use generative AI to rapidly generate content, insights, and solutions tailored to specific tasks and contexts. It helps them automate repetitive tasks so they can focus on high-value activities and analyze vast amounts of data to make more informed decisions. One of the fastest ways to take advantage of these capabilities is by using copilots, or generative AI interactions that people engage with through a conversational chat interface. Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 Unlock the potential of knowledge by enhancing familiar apps. • Intuitive document creation: Copilot in PowerPoint streamlines presentation building, helping turn blank slides into engaging stories faster. • Smart data analysis: Copilot in Excel helps uncover insights using natural language questions rather than specialized skills. • Efficient communication: Copilot in Outlook provides summaries and prioritization cues to reduce inbox overload. Learn more about Copilot for Microsoft 365 1. UNLOCK PRODUCTIVITY IN THE SOLUTIONS YOU USE EVERY DAY CONTENTS 3. SAFEGUARD 2. BUILD 1. UNLOCK INTRODUCTION
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    8 A GUIDETO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT Financial analysts Sellers Service agents Security analysts Data and IT professionals Developers Let’s look at how Copilot augments employee skills across everyday business activities. Click any of the following topics to learn more about how Copilot can help. 1. UNLOCK PRODUCTIVITY IN THE SOLUTIONS YOU USE EVERY DAY CONTENTS 3. SAFEGUARD 2. BUILD 1. UNLOCK INTRODUCTION
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    9 A GUIDETO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT Sellers can take building relationships and closing deals to the next level when generative AI makes it easier to find and manage customer data, automates administrative tasks, and helps draft personalized communications. • Automated task management: Streamline customer relationship management (CRM) updates and meeting summaries, freeing time for more strategic work. • Easier engagement: Receive timely guidance and insights to engage customers effectively. • Application integration: Quickly access Copilot within the most-used applications, helping to ensure a smooth workflow. Sellers Learn more about Copilot for Sales Microsoft Copilot for Sales Copilot for Sales empowers sellers to boost productivity, personalize every customer interaction, and automate time-consuming tasks. It helps them engage with customers in the right way and at the right time with guidance and relationship insights. 1. UNLOCK PRODUCTIVITY IN THE SOLUTIONS YOU USE EVERY DAY CONTENTS 3. SAFEGUARD 2. BUILD 1. UNLOCK INTRODUCTION
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    10 A GUIDETO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT Using generative AI, agents can handle more inquiries in a day without losing the personal touch. It provides instant access to information and suggested responses, speeding up query resolution, shortening customer wait times, and raising satisfaction levels. • Data integration: Empower agents to solve customer challenges faster by easing access to critical information when it counts. • Productivity tools: Increase agent efficiency with AI integrated into familiar apps, accelerating onboarding and case resolution. • Customizable solutions: Tailor Microsoft Copilot for Service to the unique requirements of your contact center. Service agents Learn more about Copilot for Service Microsoft Copilot for Service Put the customer at the center of the conversation and increase agent productivity through familiar experiences. Copilot for Service helps agents resolve cases faster to reduce wait times and boost customer satisfaction. 1. UNLOCK PRODUCTIVITY IN THE SOLUTIONS YOU USE EVERY DAY CONTENTS 3. SAFEGUARD 2. BUILD 1. UNLOCK INTRODUCTION
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    11 A GUIDETO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT Financial analysts 1. UNLOCK PRODUCTIVITY IN THE SOLUTIONS YOU USE EVERY DAY CONTENTS 3. SAFEGUARD 2. BUILD 1. UNLOCK INTRODUCTION Finance teams work in a fast-paced environment, and generative AI helps them quickly interpret data to act on insights and make more informed decisions swiftly. By dedicating more manual tasks to the help of generative AI, financial analysts can focus more of their time on strategic decision-making and innovation. • Accelerated decision-making: Get action- oriented recommendations, proactive anomaly detection, and specialized finance prompts and guidance. • Operational efficiency: Apply next-generation AI to more manual processes like collections and contract and invoice capture. • Connect financial data: Use pre-built connectors with existing data sources including traditional ERP systems and financial planning and analysis tools. Learn more about Copilot for Finance Microsoft Copilot for Finance Copilot for Finance is embedded in the applications you use every day and connects seamlessly to a myriad of data sources. Help finance professionals work more efficiently and gain insights from their data, and get work done in productivity tools like Excel and Outlook without switching applications.
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    12 A GUIDETO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT Generative AI revolutionizes cybersecurity by enhancing threat detection and response. It continuously analyzes data to help security professionals quickly identify and mitigate breaches. With real-time insights and automation, they can concentrate on strategic improvements and proactively combat threats. • Incident summarization: Convert complex alerts into clear, actionable summaries for better decision-making. • Impact analysis: Provide insights into the potential impact of incidents, helping prioritize response efforts. • Reverse engineering: Translate complex scripts into natural language, clarifying attacker actions and linking indicators to environmental entities. Security analysts Microsoft Copilot for Security Microsoft is updating its security tools with AI to improve threat detection and response and to simplify and strengthen security management. Copilot for Security is a generative AI-powered security solution that helps increase the efficiency and capabilities of defenders to improve security outcomes at machine speed and scale. It empowers security and IT teams to protect at the speed and scale of AI. Learn more about Copilot for Security 1. UNLOCK PRODUCTIVITY IN THE SOLUTIONS YOU USE EVERY DAY CONTENTS 3. SAFEGUARD 2. BUILD 1. UNLOCK INTRODUCTION
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    13 A GUIDETO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT Generative AI equips data professionals with robust analytical tools, simplifying complex data exploration and making advanced analytics more accessible and actionable across diverse business contexts. For IT professionals, it enhances cloud management and orchestration, facilitating efficient operations and cost optimization. • Intelligent analysis: Gain contextual insights into data and threat analytics. • Accelerated workflows: Support specialists with smart code generation and explanations. • Simplified report generation: Automatically create reports based on topics or prompts for rapid intelligence. • Enhanced orchestration: Manage cloud and edge resources efficiently and improve visibility and governance. Data and IT professionals Microsoft Copilot in Azure Gain new insights, discover more benefits of the cloud, and orchestrate across both cloud and edge. Copilot in Azure can simplify your Azure management experience and provide information tailored to your own Azure resources and environment. It unifies knowledge and data across hundreds of services to increase productivity, reduce costs, and provide deep insights. Learn more about Copilot in Azure 1. UNLOCK PRODUCTIVITY IN THE SOLUTIONS YOU USE EVERY DAY CONTENTS 3. SAFEGUARD 2. BUILD 1. UNLOCK INTRODUCTION
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    14 A GUIDETO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT Generative AI tools boost developer productivity by automating routine tasks and simplifying complex processes. • Intelligent code suggestions: Increase efficiency with real-time code completion, plus suggestions that get apps to production faster. • Learning and troubleshooting aid: Support learning new programming languages and frameworks and accelerate troubleshooting. • Test writing and security: Speed up the process of writing unit tests and fixing issues, improving code quality quickly. • Extending and building copilots: Rapidly adapt AI tools to your needs or create custom solutions. Developers Github Copilot GitHub Copilot boosts business impact by enhancing developer productivity and speeding up software development. It offers contextualized coding assistance across multiple languages, integrating into developers' workflows. Learn more about Github Copilot Microsoft Copilot Studio Copilot Studio allows developers to efficiently create generative AI solutions, including bots and custom copilots, through a streamlined, user-friendly interface. This tool enhances customer service by simplifying the development and deployment of AI-driven support and self-service options. Learn more about Copilot Studio 1. UNLOCK PRODUCTIVITY IN THE SOLUTIONS YOU USE EVERY DAY CONTENTS 3. SAFEGUARD 2. BUILD 1. UNLOCK INTRODUCTION
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    15 A GUIDETO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT Extend generative AI solutions to support any employee Organizations can face challenges that require tailored tools and approaches, such as automating specific workflows and enhancing data analysis. By starting with existing tools and customizing them on a low-code platform, your employees can quickly boost the value of your AI investment and accelerate transformation— without requiring deep technical knowledge or long, costly build cycles. Extending solutions with Copilot Studio Copilot Studio is a low-code tool that makes it easy for employees to extend the capabilities of copilots. It uses generative AI for enhancements and edits and connects to a wide range of applications and data sources, including Azure services and on- premises databases. This helps identify strategic opportunities and improve business operations. It includes robust IT management tools for visibility and control. Copilot can integrate external data directly to minimize user context shifts while enhancing productivity and collaboration. It can also be Learn more about extending solutions with Copilot Studio extended to surface external data directly in Microsoft products that users use every day. For instance, enterprises can build plugins to integrate their line-of-business APIs and data directly into Copilot. Adding plugins, connectors, or message extensions to Copilot helps users make the most out of these AI assistants. Users can more easily discover and work with enterprise data, tools, and services using natural language, which improves productivity and enhances teamwork. Copilot Studio can also be used to create and deploy new AI functionality, which we will discuss in the next chapter. 1. UNLOCK PRODUCTIVITY IN THE SOLUTIONS YOU USE EVERY DAY CONTENTS 3. SAFEGUARD 2. BUILD 1. UNLOCK INTRODUCTION
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    A GUIDE TOGENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT 16 Build new capabilities 2. CONTENTS 3. SAFEGUARD 2. BUILD 1. UNLOCK INTRODUCTION
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    17 A GUIDETO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT 2. BUILD NEW CAPABILITIES For business with complex and unique needs, building custom generative AI can provide even more significant benefits. These adaptable solutions are tailored to specific business processes, industry scenarios, and user requirements. A custom AI copilot can create a personalized conversational AI experience for users that integrates company data and documents, real- time data from external APIs, and access via company applications. Building custom copilots allows you to meet specialized and domain-specific demands in ways tailored to users’ and customers’ expectations while meeting compliance and regulatory requirements. Examples of the many use cases include: • Providing contextually relevant knowledge retrieval over enterprise data using natural language. • Managing inventory with accurate forecasts and automated restocking based on real-time sales data. • Refining customer targeting through behavior and social media trend analysis to craft compelling advertising strategies. • Personalizing professional learning paths by dynamically addressing employee needs and offering tailored content. • Providing customer support with intelligent call centers using virtual agents, real-time agent assistance, and post-call analytics. • Generating new products and services, such as speech assistance with voice command experiences. Building custom solutions with Microsoft Copilot Studio With Copilot Studio, developers can build custom copilots tailored to specific business processes and workflows, leveraging large language models and an array of data connectors. This platform simplifies the creation of intelligent chat experiences, allowing developers to design AI assistants that enhance user interactions across various internal and external channels. Learn more about building custom copilots with Copilot Studio • Custom integration: Build AI assistants with prebuilt data connectors for integration into business workflows. • Streamlined creation: Design and deploy AI-driven chat experiences quickly using a guided development environment. • Multi-channel deployment: Publish your custom copilots to diverse platforms, from web to mobile, ensuring broad accessibility. CONTENTS 3. SAFEGUARD 2. BUILD 1. UNLOCK INTRODUCTION
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    18 A GUIDETO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT Create new functionality with a full-stack AI solution Businesses often need help with the complexity and resource demands of implementing custom AI. An integrated platform simplifies development with one-stop access to services and tools to build, test, deploy, and manage AI solutions at scale. It helps developers leverage AI effectively without managing separate tools, enhancing productivity and getting solutions into production faster. • Enhanced innovation: Enable developers to build and deploy AI-driven applications efficiently with advanced tools for enterprise- level chat, content creation, and data analysis. • Comprehensive tooling: Provide access to a suite of collaborative capabilities that support the entire development lifecycle. • Streamlined operations: Facilitate integration and management of AI solutions across diverse environments, improving scalability and monitoring. Streamline access to AI models Discovering, managing, hosting, and customizing AI models can be a complex and costly process. It requires technical skills, time, and infrastructure that many businesses may not have readily available. A streamlined model service simplifies this by providing easy access to customizable AI models. This cuts down on the need for heavy infrastructure and deep technical expertise, allowing businesses to integrate AI quickly and focus on using AI for strategic advancements like improving services and enhancing user experiences. • Azure AI model catalog: Use multimodal models for enhanced user interaction and innovative experiences. • Data integrity: Ensure privacy and security by keeping your data separate. • Flexible pricing: Select from pay-as-you-go or structured plans to suit business needs. Azure AI Studio Azure AI Studio empowers developers to innovate with AI securely and responsibly. It accelerates the development of custom solutions for enterprise chat, content generation, data analysis, and more. Developers access cutting-edge APIs and models, build and test solutions with collaborative tools, deploy innovations across various environments, and manage solutions with continuous monitoring and governance. Azure OpenAI Service Azure OpenAI Service provides businesses with advanced, customizable AI models like GPT-4o and GPT-4 Turbo with Vision. It unlocks use cases, including conversational AI, content creation, and data grounding. Key features include adaptable models for optimized results, flexible payment options for cost management, and robust security measures backed by Microsoft. Learn more about Azure AI Studio Learn more about Azure OpenAI Service 2. BUILD NEW CAPABILITIES CONTENTS 3. SAFEGUARD 2. BUILD 1. UNLOCK INTRODUCTION
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    19 A GUIDETO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT Enhance generative AI experiences with powerful search technology AI-driven solutions enhance accuracy, relevance, and timeliness across various applications, empowered by retrieval augmented generation (RAG). This technology facilitates high- performing experiences by ensuring contextual relevance through advanced data retrieval techniques that drive dynamic and effective interactions. • Advanced retrieval: Implement state-of-the- art re-ranking technology with automatic indexing to streamline complex information retrieval processes. • Data versatility: Integrate any data type from multiple sources, enriching engagements with richer, multimodal interactions. • Optimized data integration: Streamline data preparation and enhance analytics by connecting directly to OneLake in Microsoft Fabric. Azure AI Search Azure AI Search provides high-quality, relevant responses through advanced search and data retrieval methods. It supports comprehensive search capabilities, enhancing business efficiency by allowing quick access to needed information. Seamlessly integrated with Azure services, it boosts scalability and security, making it ideal for complex, data-intensive applications and ensuring robust data security and operational flexibility for diverse business needs. Learn more about Azure AI Search 2. BUILD NEW CAPABILITIES CONTENTS 3. SAFEGUARD 2. BUILD 1. UNLOCK INTRODUCTION
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    20 A GUIDETO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT Get your data in shape Data is vital for AI. Your business’s unique data—from apps, services, IoT sensors, and more—is the raw material generative AI utilizes to drive innovation. However, issues like data sprawl and fragmentation are common and hinder organizations from getting the most from their data. To tackle these challenges, your cloud platform needs to be seamlessly integrated and modernized with the latest analytics, databases, and security that are purposefully built for AI. A seamless and modern platform taps into the full value of your data and protects it, clearing the way for AI innovation. Azure AI infrastructure Build your experiences on an end-to-end AI platform with secure, scalable infrastructure trusted by AI leaders, including OpenAI, Nvidia, and the Fortune 500. Learn more about Azure AI infrastructure Learn more about building your platform for the era of AI Collaborate with a partner AI development is complex; trusted partners are crucial. Microsoft's global partner network, with 400,000 members, brings deep industry and technical expertise. Whether you need SaaS applications that use AI or want to integrate Copilot into your apps, our network supports your goals. We equip our partners with the necessary tools and resources to advance AI transformation effectively. Find the right Microsoft partner for your AI transformation goals 2. BUILD NEW CAPABILITIES CONTENTS 3. SAFEGUARD 2. BUILD 1. UNLOCK INTRODUCTION
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    A GUIDE TOGENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT 21 Safeguard your business end to end 3. CONTENTS 3. SAFEGUARD 2. BUILD 1. UNLOCK INTRODUCTION
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    22 A GUIDETO GENERATIVE AI WITH MICROSOFT When integrating AI, business leaders should keep the safety and security of your operations, clients, and data in mind is essential. Partnering with a company that prioritizes these values drives successful AI implementation and long-term success. Microsoft is uniquely positioned to enable your secure and responsible use of AI through: • Data and threat intelligence: Microsoft Security leverages trillions of daily signals to anticipate attacker moves, including data from over a million customers and 15,000 partners, backed by expertise monitoring an ever-changing list of more than 300 threat groups. Secure Future Initiative At Microsoft, we prioritize cyber safety above all else through our Secure Future Initiative (SFI), which is grounded in principles of designing products with security first, ensuring security features are mandatory and effortless, and continuously enhancing our security measures to meet evolving threats. This comprehensive approach encompasses stringent standards for identity and secrets management, a culture of continuous security improvement, and a robust governance framework led by our Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). Together, these efforts reinforce our commitment to maintaining trust by effectively managing risks and safeguarding our community and customers against current and future cyber threats. Responsible AI Standard Responsible AI is an approach to developing, assessing, and deploying AI systems in a safe, trustworthy, and ethical way. The Microsoft Responsible AI Standard is a framework for building AI systems according to six principles: fairness, reliability and safety, privacy and security, inclusiveness, transparency, and accountability. For Microsoft, these Responsible AI principles are the cornerstone of a responsible and trustworthy approach to AI, especially as intelligent technology becomes more prevalent in products and services that people use every day. Learn about the Secure Future Initiative Learn more about responsible AI 3. SAFEGUARD YOUR BUSINESS END TO END • End-to-end protection: Microsoft Security offers integrated protection across 50 categories, forming a unified security cloud. This includes threat protection, compliance, identity, device management, and privacy solutions, creating a synergistic defense system. • Tools to govern and secure AI: Comprehensive solutions support informed decision-making, protect data, and manage AI use while providing guidance to address specific risks and secure application development.​ • Responsible AI principles: Microsoft leads the development of secure and responsible AI. Our framework helps maximize benefits and minimize risks. CONTENTS 3. SAFEGUARD 2. BUILD 1. UNLOCK INTRODUCTION
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    Starting your businesstransformation with generative AI is time-critical, and Microsoft is here to help navigate it. Microsoft AI solutions empower your organization to rapidly transform innovation into value, whether you want to enable employees with Copilot in Microsoft 365 or experiment with cutting-edge technologies using Azure AI Studio. Fast-track your AI transformation with Microsoft Learn more about Microsoft AI solutions: Microsoft.com/AI Learn how you can get started with Microsoft Copilot: Microsoft.com/copilot ©2024 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. This document is provided “as is.” Information and views expressed in this document, including URL and other internet website references, may change without notice. You bear the risk of using it. This document does not provide you with any legal rights to any intellectual property in any Microsoft product. You may copy and use this document for your internal, reference purposes.